Quarantine-free holidays?

Holiday update

Brits who’ve had both jabs could be allowed to go on quarantine-free holidays from August. We’ll get more details on Thursday when the government shares its first review of the traffic light system. It’s unlikely that many countries will be added to the green list, but fully vaccinated people might be free to visit amber countries without quarantining on the way home.

Borrowing falls

The government borrowed less in May thanks to a cheaper furlough bill and a higher tax take from VAT and fuel duty. Public borrowing for the month was £24.3 billion according to the Office for National Statistics. That’s £20 billion less than the same month last year, and a drop from April too.

Hedge fund closes

A London hedge fund that bet against GameStop in January is closing down, after suffering double digit losses. White Square Capital will shut its main fund this month and return investors’ money. It’s one of the first closures of a hedge fund after losing out to meme stocks. GameStop was targeted by Redditors, who drove up the price from $20 a share to over $480 in a few weeks.

No lunch

A Michelin-star restaurant in London has become the latest to stop its lunch service because it doesn’t have enough staff to serve it. Pied a Terre says it will no longer open at lunchtimes due to shortages. Hospitality is struggling to recruit new people because so many have left the industry, the UK, or both, after the double whammy of Brexit and coronavirus.